Above the Ledger - July 2025

The great tech detox: Why finance leaders need fewer tools, not more

Why simplifying your tech stack is the boldest move you can make

Welcome back to Above the Ledger, your monthly guide to modern finance leadership. In our first edition, we explored how quiet, practical AI is driving real transformation in finance. This month, we’re taking a step back to clean up the data, processes, and tech sprawl that feeds AI. After all, garbage in means garbage out.

The drive to digitise has left many finance teams with sprawling, complex tech stacks that overpromise, underdeliver, and ultimately slow everything down. More logins, more integrations, more noise, and less time for what really matters. The smartest move now? Ruthless simplification.

In this issue, we unpack why less is more. When “less” is smart, connected, and built for scale. You’ll find new research, practical frameworks, and real-life examples showing how finance leaders are reducing complexity and gaining control.

In finance, autonomy sounds great... until it starts costing money. Just ask Anthropic.

In June, they ran an experiment called Project Vend, handing an AI agent full control of a digital micro-store. The agent priced items, applied discounts, managed orders, and even handled support, all without human input. The outcome? Creative, yes. But also a reminder of what happens when AI works without structure. The agent made up payment methods, gave out generous discounts, and quietly ran the store into the red.

For finance teams, the lesson is clear: AI needs more than autonomy. It needs accountability.

That’s why today’s most effective finance agents don’t aim to replace people; instead, they should reinforce policy, protect margins, and pause when something’s off because in finance, trust comes from control, not improvisation.

And the best AI isn’t the boldest, it’s the one you can count on.

Here’s the dirty little secret behind finance tech stacks: More tools ≠ more power.

In fact, most finance teams use just 20-30% of their tools’ capabilities. The rest? Sitting idle while your team toggles between systems, patches data gaps, and manually reconciles errors.

That’s why a new kind of finance leader is emerging — one who’s cutting the clutter and winning on integration, not expansion.

They’re shrinking their stack, streamlining core processes, and focusing on tools that actually talk to each other.

Think of it like Formula 1: The car that wins isn’t the one with the most parts. It’s the one where everything works together flawlessly. So if your finance stack feels bloated, it’s time to audit what’s useful, cut what’s not, and double down on systems that deliver real visibility and control.